Emergency services spectrum to get cost-benefit analysis

The Federal Government has followed through on a promise it made before the last election to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the best way to deliver a mobile broadband capability for public safety agencies. The CBA will be conducted by the Productivity Commission and will include consultation with industry.

The government has called for a “first principles” analysis of the most efficient and effective way of delivering broadband by 2020, including the most cost-effective combination of private and public inputs, services and expertise. It said that Commonwealth, State and Territory governments all recognised the potential benefits of an effective national public safety mobile broadband capability for agencies such as police, fire and ambulance services.

The Federal Department of Communications will shortly write to its state and territory counterparts seeking their comments on a draft terms of reference for the cost-benefit analysis. The Productivity Commission will then consult with government and non-government stakeholders following the receipt of the terms of reference.

The issue of mobile broadband capability for emergency services organisations
has been ongoing for a number of years and the subject of multiple reviews. A number of public safety agencies have been calling for 20MHz of dedicated spectrum in either the 700MHz or 800MHz bands.

In 2012, the Australian Communications and Media Authority announced that it would set aside 10MHz (2 x 5MHz) of spectrum in 800MHz for public safety agencies. However, the organisations have never been satisfied with the ACMA's decision, arguing that 20MHz was the minimum that would be needed for future broadband use.

The ACMA has previously responded that its allocation of 10MHz of spectrum was based on work done by the Public Safety Mobile Broadband Steering Committee, which had a membership drawn from Commonwealth agencies, including the ACMA, and numerous peak bodies representing PSAs.

“Based on the recommendations in the PSMBSC’s reports, the spectrum provided by the ACMA was considered sufficient for all of the scenarios modelled, except for the worst case scenario, which would not be able to be served solely by an 800 MHz PSMB network even if double the amount of spectrum was provided,” it said in one submission at the time.

The move to conduct a cost-benefit analysis was welcomed by Police Federation of Australia spokesman Mark Burgess (pictured), who told CommsDay that it was a commitment the government had made to the organisation. The PFA has been one of the most vocal lobbyists on behalf of emergency services group supporting dedicated spectrum.

Burgess said the PFA would again be involved in the process but he said he was confident that the CBA would support the need for emergency services to have the full 20MHz of spectrum, noting that similar studies overseas had made the same recommendations.

He also suggested that emergency service organisations needed to develop a governance model and a management group so that they could coordinate with potential partners within the private sector.

The PFA has also called for the allocation of 20MHz of spectrum in a submission to the government's current spectrum review, which is being conducted in conjunction with the ACMA. In the submission, it claimed that without dedicated spectrum, it would “put police and emergency services in a position of having a monopoly supplier in a position to dictate to them the price, quality, security and terms of a capability essential to their public safety functions in the 21st century.”

“The only way to avoid this is for public safety to have dedicated spectrum. The telecommunications companies seem to be advocating, contrary to the Act, that law enforcement and emergency services should have zero broadband spectrum,” the submission noted.

Despite the objections, law enforcement agencies currently make use of Telstra's LTE network for operations. Its service is known as LANES – LTE Advanced Network for Emergency Services – and was most recently used for the G20 meetings in Brisbane.

According to Burgess, the service had worked well, but he noted that it probably “had not been put to the test” given there were no major incidents. However, he said the coming fire season could raise issues again. “It's unfortunate that it sometimes takes a disaster to get people's attention,” Burgess noted.
Geoff Long, Commsday